EBRI researchers produce sustainable biochar office accessories for leading law firm

  • Biochar, a sustainable form of charcoal, used to make office items for Birmingham firm

  • Mills & Reeve have sourced environmentally friendly products for their new location

  • Biochar can reduce the impact of climate change because of carbon sequestration – the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide.

EBRI’s researchers at Aston University have used biochar, a sustainable form of charcoal, to make office items for a Birmingham law firm.

Last month Mills & Reeve moved to their new city centre building at One Centenary Way and have been kitting it out in environmentally friendly products, while working with local suppliers.

A collection of durable plant and pen pots were made for them from material produced at a pyrolysis demonstrator at Cofton horticultural nursery in the south of the city that is run by Aston University’s Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI).

With its industrial partners EBRI has developed an innovative technology which thermally converts organic waste into three commercially valuable products, biochar, gas and liquids.

The unwanted matter includes fallen and diseased trees, sawdust – and even chicken manure.

Biochar, a sustainable form of charcoal, has significant opportunities for reducing the impact of climate change because it can be used for carbon sequestration – the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide. When put in the earth, biochar works to improve the soil and enhances plant growth, and also doesn’t decay over a long period of time.

Tim Miller, project lead of the Biochar CleanTech Accelerator at Aston University, said:

“Biochar can be used for a number of things, including 3D printing, as a composite material, and as a way to reduce the carbon impact of cement. We’d love to explore all of these opportunities, but we can’t do it alone which is why we’re excited to be working alongside Mills & Reeve as they move to their new, sustainable office. We hope to work with more local companies in the future to take forward serious propositions for the marketplace.”

The University team sifted down the biochar into a fine powder, mixed it with the resin and left to dry in a mould. The collection was designed by Dr. Maria Pimenta-Ocampo, an environmental engineer who is a research associate for the University’s Biochar Cleantech Accelerator project. Her work currently involves evaluating the environmental impact and carbon sequestration potential of pyrolysis products and analysing the use of biochar to lock carbon in soil and also in alternative materials such as composite resins.

Neil Pearson, head of ESG and social value at Mills & Reeve, said:

“We’ve teamed up with Aston University because we’re very keen on engaging with local organisations in Birmingham that align with our social and sustainability values. We’re really excited about the work that they’re doing, it’s a real market leader in looking at biochar and commercial ways in which biochar can be used.”

See short film here.

Notes to Editors

Mills & Reeve LLP

Mills & Reeve is centred on achieving more for its clients, their businesses and the wider communities it serves.

Its clients and their industries benefit from its knowledge and learning – on everything from wellbeing, diversity and inclusion to global trends. The wider community benefits from a focus on sustainability in client and business decisions.

For further information please visit the website at www.mills-reeve.com

 

EBRI’s Biochar CleanTech Accelerator project is part of the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator which is funded through a share of a £100m fund from Innovate UK. The West Midlands Innovation Board has targeted this investment on projects enabling new solutions around Medical and Clean Technologies, following initial expressions of interest in June 2022.

 

Tim Miller 

Tim is the Project Lead of the Biochar CleanTech Accelerator project at the Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University. He is an experienced business manager with over 22 years of experience working at director level in commerce and the public sector. This includes development and management of new ventures, start-up companies and delivery of challenging projects.

Tim was instrumental in establishing EBRI at Aston University which carries out world-leading research into new and innovative ways of converting biomass into sources of sustainable energy and commercially valuable products such as biochar and chemicals, using thermochemical and biological processes.

So far the institute has worked with over 500 businesses, created over 525 jobs and generated £50 million in regional GVA impact.

About Aston University

For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.

Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.

Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.

Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.

 

For media enquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: [email protected]

Be first to get the latest news, research and expert comment from Aston University by following us on X (formerly Twitter)